Lufthansa Technik Middle East (LTME) has signed agreements with Killick Aerospace and Mubadala-owned Sanad.

In a consignment agreement with Killick, LTME will provide MRO services where needed, and provide storage services for the parts and services company’s Boeing 737NG flight control surfaces and nacelles.

With the new agreement, LTME will become the preferred partner in the region when it comes to Killick Aerospace’s MRO requirements such as inspections, repairs or overhaul of these spares. The agreement also allows Killick to store a number of its larger sized spares, such as flaps, spoilers and engine fan cowls, in LTME’s facility located at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub in Dubai South. LTME said it would be able to provide these spares as a loan, exchange or sale to its customers.

With Sanad, LTME has signed a technology collaboration agreement to develop innovation and technology solutions to digitalise MRO operations within the aviation industry. LTME and Sanad will aim to support the “growing digitalisation requirements of MRO businesses” by investing in research and development. The partners intend to use digital capabilities such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) to reduce turnaround times and costs.

“In the expected return of the MRO business to post-Covid growth, digitalisation will play a decisive role,” said LTME’s chief executive officer Ziad al Hazmi. “Therefore, we are proud to join forces with Sanad in order to jointly advance our capabilities in this field even further. I am confident that this new cooperation will not only improve our competitiveness, but will also open up whole new possibilities and capabilities for MROs in the Middle East. And most importantly, it will soon also yield the first benefits for our valued local and international customers.”